Little Queen
by sleepingswan
Summary: Looking at her sleeping baby daughter, Cora could picture her walking around the kingdom being feared and adored by the people, having them bowing out of utter respect. One day, she would be a queen.


**Disclaimer:** All characters belong to ABC's Once Upon a Time.

**Note:** Based on Bailey's head canon (tonguemarksonmystepgranddaug hter | post/44270184473) and written while I was drowning in feelings for these two. Reviews are always welcomed and very much appreciated.

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**LITTLE QUEEN**

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Dropping a thick robe over her nightgown, she left her room without bothering to tiptoe her way out, even though it was the middle of the night and her husband was asleep on the center of their bed. He wouldn't wake up, she just knew it. It neared pathetic how exhausted he got after an entire day of hiding behind her legs.

But truly, Cora couldn't care less for her snoring husband when she made her way through the hallway, aiming for what she liked to call "motherly care" but it was not much more than a guilty pleasure. The stone walls blocked the wind from entering the castle, but they did nothing to keep the merciless winter from making her cold to the bones. No amount of fireplaces could make that castle warm in this weather – her stupid husband wouldn't let her use magic to keep them from freezing to death, and when it came to making a play for the servants to watch, he called the shots.

The day prior had been as warm as expected – which means she could barely walk due several layers of heavy clothing, all the while dying to get back into her own private study and make that place hotter than hell. But she forced herself to stay outside and watch Regina on her first riding lesson.

Although she would barely admit it to herself – "love is weakness" had been her motto since she could remember –, Cora was proud of her daughter. Her heart swelled every time she thought about how her work to raise a daughter worth of royalty would pay off sooner than later. Her twelve-year-old daughter already knew how to dress according to the occasion and do her hair better than most maids would, knew how to take a proper bow and to keep her guests interested in the polite pleasantries her preteen mind could think of.

She still played silly games that included running up and down the castle and couldn't remember for the life of hers to keep her legs closed when having her crafting lessons, but she would grow out of it, Cora just needed to guide her through.

As any child, Regina needed to be taught how to grow up. Harshly, if needed. And her dear mother would be by her side, with a hand on the small of her back to care for her and don't let her fall whenever she tripped.

Cora wanted nothing more than Regina to excel in life. And she was, in rough lines, successful at everything she put her mind on – again, her mother was there to back her up whenever she tripped. And she would also excel in riding, as soon as Cora could make her daughter to stop riding like a boy.

Instead of teaching her how to ride a horse gracefully, the stable boy insisted that she was a _natural_ at it and should take part on show jumping. Cora scoffed at the thought. Daniel was a very skilled stable boy and being only three years older than Regina made it easier for them to bond enough so she would be interested in exceeding her mother's expectations, but if he didn't stop putting such ideas in her mind, Cora would have to take some measures.

What made Cora put up with that insolent boy trying to ruin everything she worked for in her entire life was the look on Regina's eyes when she saw Rocinante – nothing could compare to the happiness on her daughter's face to see the stallion Cora herself had chosen.

Taking a deep breath to relieve herself from the emotions of the day – both the annoyance of seeing her baby girl riding like a man and the pride that was growing too much on her –, Cora got to the double doors painted on dark pink tones with golden details with a "R" written on a childish handwriting in golden ink. Regina's bedroom.

Unlike her manners on leaving her own room, Cora pushed the heavy doors open slowly, careful to not wake up the bundle curled up on a big canopy bed. The child didn't love the curtains hanging down around her bed, but it made her mother happy enough for her to not argue – even Cora saw that. As she sat in the bed warily, she gazed at the ebony curls messily tossed over the pillow, the rhythmic slow breathing being the only movement Regina made.

Cora made a habit of checking up on her baby daughter since she was born. At first, she would drag herself to see why that damned pink bundle wouldn't stop crying, even though she had four maid rocking her to sleep, feeding her, changing her and playing sweet lullabies – and it always happened to be one of the countless baby problems that only went away when her mother picked her up. In the years that followed, when Regina was not older than a toddler, but already aware she couldn't just call out for her mother, but still young enough for her cries to be heard, Cora would often spend the night in Regina's bed – main reason why she got her such a big one – to soothe her from terrible nightmares that tormented the child. Now, Regina slept safe and sound through the night, the activities of the day catching up with her almost as soon as dinner was over – but Cora still had to check up on her.

Looking at her sleeping baby daughter, Cora could picture her walking around the kingdom being feared and adored by the people, having them bowing out of utter respect. Regina had been born and raised to be called "your majesty", to be a true monarch, to marry a king and celebrate it with a colossal winter wedding, to give birth to little princes and princesses who would be raised to be as great as their mother, to teach them and everyone around her what it means to have their head crowned. One day, she would be a queen.

"One day, you will be so great – greater than anyone who had ever lived prior you. And you will oh so very happy," Cora watched Regina taking a deep breath, as if in agreement, and stroked the hair away from her face, revealing a peaceful child in the untroubled land of slumber, "my little queen."

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_fin._


End file.
